LEGO Universe Developer: I Will Never Make an MMO Again

kirak2009

 

I recently departed my beloved old development studio after helping build it from five to two hundred people, with consistent 50% growth year over year for over 10 years. I departed just after a five-year stint heading up development of LEGO Universe, the third major MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) we built. While the specific reasons for departure were related more to cultural and ethical conflict with the corporate ownership, it created an opportunity to reflect on the past decade and re-evaluate creative priorities. I have decided to get out of the MMO game, for 3 reasons. 

 

Number One:  Joe Public: "MMOMGWTF?  Birds and pigs?  Sounds fun!"

OK I lied, I didn't really decide that. I simply realized there actually hadn't been an "MMO game" to get out of for at least two, three years. It's no longer a meaningful label. Point at any significant entertainment experience trending today, you won't be able to find one without some kind of social feature layers and persistent aspects. No one cares if something is "single player" or "multi player" or "massively multiplayer" anymore. We have come to a point where the game concept trumps such insignificant bullet points, and global social connectivity is a given.

 

Full story here 

http://kotaku.com/5803598/i-will-never-make-an-mmo-again